Woodside Primary School, Runcorn

Ofsted's report card from its 6 May 2026 inspection grades Woodside Primary School on 7 areas: 4 expected standard and 3 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils, including those with barriers to learning, such as children in care and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders are cognisant of the barriers to some pupils attending school regularly."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Inclusion is at the heart of this school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have considered the skills, knowledge and experiences that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, need in order to understand life in modern Britain."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders do not have sufficient oversight of the quality of the curriculum and teaching."

Early years - Needs attention. "Leaders have not established robust systems to quality assure the effectiveness of the early years."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders' oversight of the school is not rigorous enough."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders and governors should ensure that effective quality assurance processes provide clear oversight of the school's work, enabling them to identify areas for improvement accurately"; "Leaders should ensure that the early years curriculum identifies the most important knowledge that children should learn and remember, and that staff interactions are closely linked to this curriculum so that learning activities effectively develop children's knowledge and understanding"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers consistently make effective use of checks on pupils' understanding so that any misconceptions can be addressed quickly"; "Leaders should continue to refine their strategies for improving pupils' attendance and reducing persistent absenteeism".

In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at Woodside Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 91% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 72% in Halton and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 67% in reading and 70% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 13 families put Woodside Primary School as their first choice and 23 named it as one of their preferences, for 13 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Woodside Primary School are Halton Lodge Nursery & Primary School (0.4 miles, 72% reading, 72% maths); Hallwood Park Primary School and Nursery (0.4 miles, 71% reading, 86% maths); The Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 67% reading, 72% maths); and Beechwood Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 86% reading, 86% maths).

Woodside Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.

72.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 5.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (88%) and Asian (5%).

In 2026, 28 pupils (24.1%) received SEN support and 19 (16.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.

Woodside Primary School has a resourced provision for social, emotional and mental health needs.

Woodside Primary School had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Runcorn Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Chads School (outside), 80 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Woodside Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Woodside Primary School issued 9 suspensions, 8.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Woodside Primary School are Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic and Church of England Academy (0.1 miles), The Grange School (0.7 miles) and The Heath School (0.7 miles).